


everywhere i roam (i'll see you on the road)

by ohallows



Series: podcast girls week 2020 [2]
Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Dancing, F/F, Femslash, Fluff, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:21:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25128421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohallows/pseuds/ohallows
Summary: She’d promised Emeka that he could take the rest of the day off to prepare for the dance, and that she would finish up the day’s planting on her own. He hadn’t wanted to leave her alone - Azu wasn’t a teenager anymore, but he was still ever the protective brother. Azu thinks he may also have felt a little guilty leaving her behind, but in the end, she’d convinced him to go on without her, and that she would catch up soon. The planting doesn’t take long, either. Azu is more than happy to leave it behind, standing up and grabbing the basket of her things up as she sets it on her hip. She makes her way steadily back to the village; all she needs to do is go back and change into her kitenge for the dance.
Relationships: Azu & Emeka (Rusty Quill Gaming), Azu/Female OC
Series: podcast girls week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1820245
Kudos: 5
Collections: Podcast Girls Week





	everywhere i roam (i'll see you on the road)

**Author's Note:**

> more girls week! 
> 
> so!! the dance described below is based on the isukuti, which is a dance that is practised among the isukha and idakho peoples in western kenya, usually for celebrations, and men and women of all ages are able to participate !! they’re super cool and high energy and i really wanted to focus on a traditional dance instead of like. a very stereotypical waltz esp since azu has such a strong connection to her culture ok i’ll stop rambling heres a video of one tho - https://youtu.be/Zw3WSI8j8Bs
> 
> also!! azu canonically doesn’t speak swahili, but helen said she would have added it if she could take more than three languages, so i’m making the exec decision to make azu speak swahili bc it makes more sense than the paladin knowing orcish imo

The sun stretches across the mountains, a dappled light that casts long shadows across the lower peaks. It’s nearly midday, and the heat, even this high in the hills, is stifling. Azu wipes a bead of sweat off of her forehead and sighs, grabbing a nearby waterskin as she drinks. The water, kept cold by a spell, helps a little bit, and she sets it carefully back down as she finishes up her work. 

She’d promised Emeka that he could take the rest of the day off to prepare for the dance, and that she would finish up the day’s planting on her own. He hadn’t wanted to leave her alone - Azu wasn’t a teenager anymore, but he was still ever the protective brother. Azu thinks he may also have felt a little guilty leaving her behind, but in the end, she’d convinced him to go on without her, and that she would catch up soon. The planting doesn’t take long, either. Azu is more than happy to leave it behind, standing up and grabbing the basket of her things up as she sets it on her hip. She makes her way steadily back to the village; all she needs to do is go back and change into her kitenge for the dance. 

It doesn’t take long before she makes it back to the small home that she and Emeka share, and she sets the basket down on the table. He’s left her outfit out on the table in the center, and she picks it up gratefully, changing as fast as she can. Satisfied with how it looks, she grabs the ceremonial necklaces hanging on a hook by the sink and carefully drapes them, a light weight settling around her neck. 

She’s careful to not accidentally knock against the necklaces as she smooths down the fabric, and then steps outside, ready to go to the dance. The sun is high in the sky and she shields her eyes as she closes the door gently behind her. As she turns to start heading toward the isukuti, she notices a camel in the distance, dust being stirred up along the path as the rider directs them toward her village, and comes up short, watching curiously. Half of her is being pulled toward the dance, but the other half of her is listening to all the lessons about hospitality that Emeka and some of the elders have been hammering into her head since she was young. She remains rooted to the spot, and then eventually shakes her head to clear it before setting off toward the entrance of the village, ready to greet the stranger. As they get closer, Azu realises that they’re wearing dusty pink armor. They must be absolutely baking in the heat, with how heavy and thick it looks, but they seem unbothered. 

“Welcome!” she calls out, waving to the stranger, and they pull up short, coming to a gentle trot as the camel plods toward Azu. The dust settles behind them, and the camel comes to a complete stop at the opening to the village, looking around with disinterest. Azu looks up at the rider, sitting so confidently on the camel, and feels her heart skip a beat. 

She’s  _ gorgeous _ , for one thing. She’s a human, to start, and her hair has been carefully done up on top of her head, covered by a headwrap. Her skin is only a little lighter than Azu’s, a rich brown that positively glistens in the sun. Her eyes are a deep brown, and Azu can’t quite look away even as the stranger’s mouth quirks up in a smile. 

“What -“ Azu starts, swallowing as she realises how dry her mouth is. “What brings you to our little village?” 

“My name is Kaya, and I’m a paladin of Aphrodite,” she introduces herself, speaking in slightly stilted Swahili, and glances around at the empty village. “Are you… the only one here?” 

“Oh, not at all! My name is Azu,” Azu says, slipping seamlessly into Swahili instead of Orcish. “They’re all down the hill. We have a celebration starting soon.”

“Ah, it seems my timing is, as always, not ideal,” Kaya says, with a bit of a self-deprecating grin, and Azu gives her a sympathetic smile.

“Why are you visiting?” Azu asks, genuinely curious.

“I’m on my pilgrimage,” Kaya says. “It’s a holy journey that all in the church are required to take. I was born in South Africa, so I decided to make that my final stop on the journey. I’ve been traveling through a number of towns on the way down, looking for a place to spend the night, and maybe share some of the teachings of Aphrodite if anyone is interested.”

“A paladin of Aphrodite?” Azu asks. She’s heard of Aphrodite from the stories told by the council elders, but she’s never actually  _ met  _ a paladin of one of the gods before. They used to visit more often, but Azu had been too young to remember. 

The drum beats start, faint in the distance, and Azu swears she can feel her heart skip and race until it settles into the same beat. She can’t hide the smile as she turns toward where the music is coming from; a chorus of voices join before long, sounding like little more than a faint hum, but the excitement begins to sizzle in her veins as she instinctively starts to move, nearly forgetting her guest.

“What is that?” Kaya asks, tilting her head curiously toward the sound.

“It’s the final day of planting, for us,” Azu says. “So we’re hosting a little celebration. That’s - that’s the dance starting.”

“That sounds lovely,” Kaya says, and turns back toward Azu with a smile on her face. “I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Would you like to come to the dance?” Azu blurts out; she’s never really been one for subtlety. “I mean - you could stay, for the dance, and then spend the night if you don’t want to try and find another village. This. Might be easier?”

Kaya laughs and takes a step closer, and Azu  _ knows  _ she’s blushing already, but this just makes her blush harder. “That’s a very generous offer. Thank you.”

Azu swallows and turns, hoping that she’ll be able to at least save  _ some  _ face, and starts to walk. “Follow me,” she instructs. “We can tie up your camel near the stables and then head down to where everyone else is.”

Kaya clicks her tongue and the camel starts walking, following Azu down the path, and they make it to the stables quickly. Azu carefully ties the camel to one of the resting posts, and then slips inside to grab a bag of feed, dumping it out into the wooden trough. The camel watches, uninterested, and then huffs out a breath, seemingly satisfied as it bends its head and begins to eat. Kaya slips off of its back, dismounting gracefully, and her boots land in the dust. 

“Thank you, Azu,” she says, and Azu smiles.

“I am happy to help,” she says, and opens her mouth to continue when the drumbeats get much louder in the distance, the chanting rising to a higher pitch as the dance truly gets into its full swing. “Come, we don’t want to miss it!”

She doesn’t run down the path, but it’s a near thing. Kaya follows along at her side, looking around in amazement at all of the houses and crops that surround their little village. They come to a stop on the outcropping where the dance is happening, and Azu motions for Kaya to follow her. She does, going willingly, and Azu leads them through the throng of people, greeting all of them with a smile and a forearm clasp, picking up the children to press kisses to their foreheads. 

Emeka spots her and waves from his spot in the dance, and Azu waves back, ignoring the slightly confused glance he shoots toward Kaya. 

“What is this?” Kaya asks, looking intrigued at the colorful fabrics flowing in the wind. Azu leans a bit closer so she doesn’t have to shout to be heard.

“It’s called a… isukuti,” she says, stumbling a bit over the translation into Swahili. “It’s a celebration, for us, since the harvest has completed. Everyone is welcome to join in and sing along.”

“What are they chanting?” she asks, leaning close enough that her breath brushes against Azu’s ear, and Azu can’t completely hide the shiver she gets. 

“They are celebrating the harvest,” Azu explains, leaning in as well, and Kaya nods. “And singing for the community to thrive over the next year. Telling all of us to be diligent and spend our lives wisely.”

Kaya hums, watching the dancers. “Would you like to dance with me?” she asks, and Azu can feel the heat in her cheeks increase to a nearly ridiculous level as she nods, taking her hand. 

Azu leads Kaya to one of the women’s lines, closer to the drummers, and Kaya watches curiously as Azu begins to stomp and dance, following in her motions after a moment. On Azu’s other side, one of the elder women grabs Azu’s hand and squeezes, chanting loudly, and Azu joins in, letting herself go as she gives in to the music. The energy pulses through the dancing throng of villagers, drumbeats keeping a steady pace, and they slowly start to move forward, a procession of dancers moving through the small village. The drummers lead the charge, followed by lines of men and women, and Azu continues stomping and dancing, her own voice joining the cries of her people as Kaya mimics her movements at her side. 

They dance into the night; Azu’s flush of embarrassment quickly turns into one of exertion, but neither she nor Kaya stop until the final drum beats have faded away. The rest of the village slowly begins to disperse, but in a rare moment of forwardness, Azu takes Kaya’s hand and pulls her away, between the houses, to a secluded spot in the hills.

She sits, gesturing for Kaya to do the same; Kaya does, a bit away from Azu, and wraps her arms around her knees.

“That was amazing!” Kaya exclaims, and the moon and the stars above mean that it’s light enough out for Azu to see the excitement reflected in her eyes. “I’ve never been able to join a dance before. Some of my relatives used to tell me about the dances, but my family moved to Cairo when I was young, too young to remember if we’d ever done them.”

Azu smiles. “Yes, it is incredible,” she agrees. The dances are some of her favorite parts about Kenya - the entire village coming together, the energy seeping through all of them until they’re moving in unison… it never gets old, for her.

They sit there in silence for a moment as the voices slowly fade away, all of the villagers returning to their homes for the night, exhausted from the harvest and the dance. 

“Why did you join Aphrodite?” Azu eventually asks, and Kaya leans back in the dirt, hands supporting her as she glances up at the starry night sky. 

“Well, I joined the church a few years ago. I had just finished up my schooling, and had no idea what to do with my life. My parents suggested going into trade, like the rest of our family, but I wanted to…  _ do  _ something with my life. I wanted to help people. They weren’t pleased, but they let me begin to study at the nearby temple.”

“It was as easy as all that?” Azu asks, and Kaya laughs.

“The training  _ is  _ rigorous. It was just like being in school again, but I got used to it after a few months. And Healer Fairhands… he’s the most accomplished healer in the world, and not a bad teacher, either. He really inspired all of us to continue with our studies.”

“Why Aphrodite?” Azu asks, and Kaya shakes her head.

“You’re so  _ curious, _ Azu,” she teases, and Azu leans back, blinking rapidly.

“My - my apologies, I was only - I just wanted -“ she starts, but Kaya waves a hand, and Azu trails off.

“No, no, I’m only teasing.” Her smile softens a bit as her fingers play across the dusty ground. “It’s been many months since I’ve really spoken about my training. People aren’t usually interested in that.”

“I am,” Azu says automatically, and Kaya looks back up at her, and Azu would swear that there was a hint of vulnerability in her eyes.

“Thank you, for that,” she whispers, and they both fall into another silence as Azu tries and fails to come up with any reasons why she shouldn’t scoot a bit closer to Kaya. She silently talks herself out of it eventually, playing with some of the grass poking up through the dirt. 

“So.. why her, then?” Azu repeats, head tilting to the side as she considers Kaya. “How did you choose her, of all the gods to serve?”

“Aphrodite is… amazing,” Kaya breathes, and Azu thinks for a moment that she can feel Aphrodite’s touch as well, settling as warm as a shawl across her shoulders, and something about it feels  _ right  _ in a way she’d never expected. “Everything she teaches is meant to help others. Our most important creed is to do all we can to ease someone’s suffering, regardless of who they are. It’s - everyone in the church is a member of it because they want to serve, because they want to improve the world around us.”

“That sounds  _ incredible _ ,” Azu murmurs, and Kaya looks back at her, stars shining in her eyes. 

They’re closer, now, faces mere inches apart, and Azu can feel her eyes start to slip closed as Kaya’s hand brushes against hers in the grass. She doesn’t know who makes the final move, but then Kaya’s fingers are interlocked with hers and their lips are brushing, a gentle press. They break apart for a moment and Azu takes a deep breath, halfway to apologising when Kaya leans back in, hand coming up to cup Azu’s cheek in her hand. Azu melts into the kiss, squeezing Kaya’s hand in her own, and shifts a bit closer, feeling the ever-familiar blush creeping along her neck.

Somewhere nearby, a door slams, and Azu leaps back, heart racing. Kaya tries to follow her, but Azu presses a hand to her shoulder and she immediately stops, looking confused.

“We should - we should be getting back,” Azu stammers, and stands, brushing the dust off of her kitenge. “It’s - it’s very late, and we don’t want - it’s late.”

Kaya seems slightly disappointed but also understanding, and she stands up as well, following along behind Azu as she starts to walk away. 

She leads Kaya back to the home of one of the elders, where travelers are welcome to stay. They stop by the stable for a brief moment where Kaya checks on her camel, and then they finally make it to where Kaya will be spending the night.

“Promise to see me off in the morning?” Kaya asks, and Azu can’t do anything but nod. 

“Of - of course,” she stammers, and Kaya leans forward to press a gentle kiss to Azu’s cheek before heading inside. The door slowly swings shut behind her, and Azu just stares for a moment, hand slowly coming up to press against her cheek. 

A minute passes before she comes back to herself, and she takes a step backward, smiling privately as she heads back toward her own home.

—

Azu sits on the bed, thoughts turning over and over in her mind as she stares, unseeing, at the wall by the door. Emeka is saying something, she thinks, but there are so many ideas flying through her head that she can barely focus on him. She can’t stop thinking about how Kaya had described Aphrodite, how she had described her  _ work,  _ and how something seems to have just clicked into place for Azu. 

“I want to go to Cairo,” she announces out of the blue. Emeka gives her a confused look, in the middle of wrapping up the basket that he's sending back with Kaya in the morning.

“You want to  _ what, _ now?” he asks, looking at her like she’s got a camel hump on her back. “Cairo?”

“Well, maybe not Cairo, specifically,” she amends, swinging her legs as she scoots up to the edge of the bed. “At least, not right away. Maybe one day.”

“Spit it out, Azu,” Emeka says, finishing up the ties and setting the basket off to the side. 

“I want to be a paladin,” she says, all in one breath. “Of Aphrodite, I mean. And I… I think I would be good at it, as well.”

“ _ Obviously,”  _ Emeka snorts, and Azu smacks him gently on the arm. “Hey!”

“You’re my older brother, you have to be supportive of me,” Azu says, crossing her arms, and Emeka rolls his eyes.

“I am! Honest. You would be good at it,” he explains, and Azu sits back, mollified. “I say go for it.”

Azu opens her mouth to argue “You mean that?” she asks, and Emeka shrugs. 

“Sure,” he says. “Got the harvest well handled, we have enough people here. This doesn’t need to be a big, complicated thing. You can start learning.”

“Really?” Azu gasps, kneeling on the bed as her hands fly to her mouth. She can feel the excitement flooding her veins, and there’s a distinct sense of approval in the back of her mind before it’s completely gone again. “You’re the  _ best,  _ Emeka.”

“Yeah, I know,” he teases, and Azu doesn’t even care that he’s being a bit of an arse about it, she leaps off the bed and clasps his arms in hers, pressing her forehead to his for a moment. “I think there’s a healer of Aphrodite in a nearby clan. I’ll speak with the council of elders in the morning, see if we can’t get you an apprenticeship or something of the sort.”

“Did you know you’re the best big brother ever? Like, ever, ever?” Azu asks, and Emeka smiles, pleased.

“Could do to mention it more often, really,” he says, and Azu hugs him, tightly. 

“Thank you,” she says fervently, and then backs away, leaving Emeka’s arms free so that he can finish up the washing. She goes back and sits on her bed, legs crossed, and stretches, yawning. “I’ll make you proud. I promise.”

“Oh, that won’t be hard,” he says, and Azu smiles, glancing down at her legs. 

They fall into a comfortable silence as Emeka and Azu both finish getting ready for bed, and once they’ve both laid down, Emeka leans over and blows out the candle, casting their home into darkness. Azu rolls over, wondering if she’ll be too excited to sleep, but she can already feel the exhaustion of the day pulling at her muscles.

“Azu, don’t - don’t be too in a hurry to leave, yeah?” Emeka says after a moment, and he’s acting like it doesn’t bother him, but Azu can still detect the hint of worry in his tone. 

“I won’t be. I promise,” she says, and Emeka grunts.

“Good,” he replies, and then his voice takes on an edge of teasing. “Now, go to bed. You’ll need to get up early to see  _ Kaya _ off in the morning.”

Azu can feel her cheeks heating, and rolls over to give him a glare. “I wasn’t - I -“

“Whatever you say,” he laughs, and then turns to face the wall, calling a sleepy, “You can bring her the basket,” over his shoulder.

Azu tries to formulate a comeback, mouth opening and closing a few times as she thinks of what to say, but it’s ultimately fruitless. Emeka starts snoring a few moments later, and Azu realises her opportunity has passed, laying back in the bed with a huff. Still, she glances over at him and smiles, thinking about how he’s going to help her become a paladin. 

He’s a good older brother.

“Thank you, Emeka,” she whispers, and turns over, letting her eyes slip closed. They can figure out the rest in the morning. 

**Author's Note:**

> girls week !!!! girls time!!! hell yeah!!!! comments and kudoses are super appreciated as well ty


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